It amuses me when people talk about “destroying the Earth”. Mankind lacks the technology to do this. What we are capable of doing is merely destroying our own resources and creating an environment where human life cannot be sustained. We can trigger climate change, run out of space to put our trash, destroy enough forests to feel severe repercussions, run out of fresh water and space to grow food and possible destroy each other with nuclear weapons. None of these things will destroy the planet. They will merely make it harder for humans to survive. I’m sure cockroaches would be around long after humans are gone. So will bacteria, viruses (why is it viruses and not virii?) insects, parts of marine life and all other life forms that have been around longer than us.
For a long time, my list of people who annoyed me was topped by those who don’t care about doing the ecologically correct thing. You know, people who drive when they can walk, who toss things into the trash even though there’s a recycling bin right there, who prefer paper towels to cloth, use harsh cleaners when soap and water are good enough. People who cannot use energy efficient bulbs or turn off the light or use less water or live without air conditioning. People who are just not bothered or, in some cases, just too stupid to realize, that their actions hurt their race more than anyone else.
What baffles me more than anything else is why people don’t realize that by doing the environmentally correct thing to do they aren’t being nice to the planet, they’re being nice to themselves. Most of our generation is going to live long enough to see the repercussions of climate change, overpopulation and our dependence on fossil fuels. We’re going to see the world fight over water and in our lifetime, the Indian tiger will be extinct and Himalayan glaciers will disappear.
So “the right thing to do” is not just the right thing, it’s the only thing left to do if we’re looking to survive. Thoughts?
